SARPE Surgery

[kballing]

wow, can i just say, you guys are awesome. you are so helpful and hearing about your experiences is so informative.
congratulations, brandy on getting the okay to get the palate expander out sooner.
hang in there, mia. it sounds like we are on a similiar sort of schedule. although i haven't even gotten any brackets yet. hopefully will get some on the 11th. thank you soooooooooooooo much for letting me know you got the little sore as well, maybe it has something to do with the size of the gap? thanks for sending the link as well. i will have to stock up on supplies. by the way, how long did your od say it would be before you could get your wire on the top? how is your gap coming along?
today was so amazing not to have to expand. wow, what a difference. i still have the pain where the gap is and yes, still the pain in the lower molars. that was really helpful to know from both of you that this is likely related to a nerve thing. happy to know that it probably isn't a cavity that needs filled, i did think it was odd if it was a cavity for it just to happen now.
okay, wish me luck tomorrow that i can move forward with the next steps of treatment.
i definitely am thinking of ways to reward myself as well. i have been growing out my hair for a year now and i think maybe it is time to get a short short cut with one of boston's best as a reward. not sure if i am ready for more change right now though. so for now, it is with the yogurt/peanut butter smoothies. dangerous food reward.
healing thoughts sent your way....

[Brandyleigh35]

Good Luck K! Hopefully tomorrow will be good news!

Mia, yea I think I am pretty far along. I had gone in and talked with my OD before all this started so we could get the show on the road. I don't want to waste any time! I want to be ready for surgery by next May so I need to stay on it so we have time to get everything done and scheduled.

Gotta get to bed...hopefully I will sleep tonight! Gab with you ladies tomorrow!

Brandy

[Brandyleigh35]

K, how did your appointment go?

10101 how are you doing today!

Mia???

I'm doing well today, but OMG my lowers are so so sore from these new springs! They are painful!


Brandy

[kballing]

Ohhhhhh, Brandy, I am so sorry to hear that the springs are hurting. Did you have to try to work today even with the pain? Are you taking any pain relievers?
My appointment at the orthodontist went really well. YAY! So exciting. She was very very pleased with the amount of expansion and deactivated the rpe. She also confirmed that I will be getting my braces both top and bottom on the 11th, and said we should be ready for the surgery in December. I hope that my os goes along with that. I actually showed up at my appointment with my os and they were like, uh, yeah, that's tomorrow. So, I will need to leave work early again tomorrow and go back over to the hospital. That was kind of frustrating, guess I was just too anxious, but they said that it was necessary for me to actually see him and not one of the surgical residents, so I will be back off to do that. Hopefully, he will allow scheduling of the surgery. We'll see.
My od did mention that she will later be putting on the power chain that you have talked about Brandy. Oh, I don't think I want that, but she said that it will be awhile and it will help close the gap. So, I now have appts. with my od every 4 weeks after I get the braces on. Is this about what other people are doing? I have my next 5 months scheduled already, once a month. My od was fine with the sore place on my gum, she said it will heal very soon since we are not expanding anymore. I just want this gap to close, counting the days. We're planning a big party for when I get my braces on "The Embraceable Party" and I just don't want to have a big 'ole gap at the same time. So, people said about a month for it to close, right?
How are all of you doing today?

[mia22]

Hi Everyone!

Awww Brandy that stinks! I always feel the pain from tightening the 2nd day as well! I can't imagine those spring, ouch! I actually like the pain from it sometimes... I guess it makes me feel like there is progress.

K, what other surgery are you getting? And when they brace you... will you get a wire put on the top as well?


As for me, I am doing pretty good. My space is closing little by little, but of course it doesn't seem fast enough. I just keep counting down the days until my April 21st appointment. I feel like everyone's od is starting the tightening process before I am. Maybe its just my imagination... I over think everything, lol. I guess I just really miss being normal... if there is such a thing as normal. Oh and I'm going to ask my od about that appliance your getting Brandy. If I can get this thing out of my mouth sooner than I thought I will be SOOOO excited!

Until tomorrow... good night ladies!

[Brandyleigh35]

Hey K, that is great, glad everything went well. You will probably be sore once you get your brackets on. Are they going to put an archwire in, or just the brackets. You have to wear a flexible wire for a few weeks first. This loosens up your teeth and gets them ready for movement. The in your continuing appts they will change the wires to stronger and stronger to start moving them.

My wire on top is not a movement wire, just the flexible wire. He will not begin moving my teeth for another couple of months he said, until the top has had time to heal. Only closing the gap, but that won't be done now for 8 weeks which is fine with me. I think once the SARPE has had a bit of time to heal my front teeth won't be so sensitive and it won't be too uncomfortable. Probably the same goes for you K. They are only working on my lower right now, but that is where I need most of the focus as I have some slight crowding going on there.

I was so excited (posted pics on my blog) with my movement. In 24hrs my teeth have moved a lot! Its crazy....painful but crazy! LOL..

Mia I would ask about the TPA. Another girl who had SARPE (Amy) also got one of these after a couple of month and said it was awesome! My son has one right now. It took the place of the pendulum appliance he previously had that took up the whole roof of his mouth. He said it is SOOO much better! and I'm sure it is!

I will gab with you ladies tomorrow! Have a good evening!

Brandy

[Delag]

Hi Everyone - I'm new here and want to say thank you to all of you who have put so much information out there for people like me. I have really enjoyed and learned from this website and your blogs.

Here is my story. I went to the dentist (a new one) when I saw a funny line on one of my molars. Turns out that I fractured it and he said it was because of my bite and sent for ortho consultations. He told me he didn't want to put a permanent crown on it because if I decided to use braces my bite would change and I would need another crown at twice the expense (an honest guy). The two orthos said that they wouldn't touch me unless I had surgery and they both sent me to an OS. The OS said I am a prime candate for SARPE if I want to do it. Here is the rub - my crossbite is so complete that I have a functional bite so I may be able to do nothing and have no problems. One of the orthos told me that if I didn't correct my bite I would have problem with fractures and gum recession etc...and would probably spend as much in my lifetime repairing crowns as I would on the surgery. The others said 'who knows what could happen - maybe nothing'.

I feel like I have been thrown in the ocean and I only know how to dog paddle! I could consult with another OS, but this guy is the best in the area. Did any of your doctors give you information on NOT having SARPE to correct your bite? For those of you who have done it, have you had any regrets? Marilyn

[Brandyleigh35]

Delag,
I decided to pursue my whole SARPE, Braces, Jaw Surgery journey due to issues of sleep apnea being caused by my underdeveloped lower jaw. I can honestly say if I did not have this, I would be doing nothing and would not have done any of this.

With that being said..I just had SARPE 25 days ago, and I'm in full braces. There are days that I hate this appliance and wish I could just rip it out, but regret my choice...NO WAY. I can already see huge improvements in my bite, appearance, and teeth. In addition to that I have also recieved the benefit of increased airflow through my sinuses. Is it fun...No, is it worth it? Absolutely! at least in my opinion it is. I don't regret my choice to pursue this at all! I'm thrilled with my results so far and anticipate that I will be even happier with the end results. I think you will probably find most others feel the same way. There are days when we all think "man what the heck did I get myself into?" but in the end, we are all glad we took this long, but extremely gratifying trip.

Hope this helps!

[mia22]

Hi everyone!!

Brandy,

I'm totally going to ask about the TPA... not ask but demand it, lol. I looked at your new picture with the springs. It is UNBELIEVEABLE!!! Wow, if they ask if i want springs i will tell them to bring it on, lol. I bet it hurts, but like everything with this process... it is worth it.

Now, Delag...

Ok this process is definately a journey. Sometimes I get so mad at the retainer that I could rip it out, like Brandy said. I would NEVER regret this. Yes, it sucks pretty bad, but what is a year or two of your life? Can you even remember what happened to you 2 yrs ago? Doesn't it seem like it went by fast? This is something that you will recieve benefits from for years and years and all you need is 1 or 2 years of commitment. If you are fracturing teeth... think of all the damage that is happeneing to you teeth... your gums...

As far as the cost is concerned... my insurance covered my surgery. My medical insurance not dental insurance covered it because it was a surgery. Maybe ask the OS office to submit the paperwork and see if you can get approved for it...


Now to bites...
I had a crossbite on both sides. MY OD and OS both said that cross-bites are the number 1 reasons people need braces. They told me that crossbites are even worse than an underbite or an overbite. Now, he said that if I did nothing about this I would start to get jaw problems. They said my jaw might start locking up... I might start getting migrains from the trauma my jaw was undergoing... or I might start hearing a constant ringing in my ears or even develop a case of TMJ! Honestly, as soon as I heard that... i figured the faster I did the surgery the faster I would be done. Honestly, the past 6wks have FLOWN by.

I would DEFINATELY recommend it!

Good luck to you and feel free to ask any questions!!!

[kballing]

delag,
i can only speak from very minimal experience. i just had surgery 2 weeks ago yesterday, but i have to say even at this point, i am so pleased to have done it and know the results will be well worth it.
i had to have sarpe done before i could proceed on to the next step, ie. braces and then orthognathic surgery. i have what i think is a pretty sizeable malocclusion, my friends just call it a pouty lip since my upper jaw sticks out further. i was told at 16 that i needed to have it done. at that time, we had no insurance and they still wired everyone shut and i was told my body wouldn't be able to handle the weight loss if i didn't gain some weight before. needless to say, there were too many obstacles. i would still think about it occasionally or ask the different dentists i have had about it. in fact, 3 years ago, i even called an oral surgeon, but cancelled the appointment. starting with the new year, i made a decision, that this would be a now or never thing. so jumped right in and am glad that i have. that being said, only you know what works best for you. it can get frustrating, but the benefits definitely outweigh the costs.
oh, also if you have medical insurance, it should cover it. ask your os about that. some insurance companies are better than others from what i understand.
hope this is somewhat helpful and please ask any questions. now, that we are on the other side, we definitely know what it feels like to be thinking about this and all of the questions that we had.
good luck with whatever you decide.

[Delag]

Brandy and Mia - wow you have given me a lot to think about. I do have a lot of TMJ popping and my jaw has locked up a couple of times, but for some reason it never crossed my mind that this could get worse because of my bite. One of the orthos did tell me that SARPE wouldn't do anything to help the TMJ so I just kind of forgot about it because it doesn't hurt. (Can you spell denial?)

I guess I am just scared of having this done and I am looking for an easy way out. My gut tells me this is something I have to do though. Sometimes it really sucks being a grown up.

As for insurance - that is a no go. I live in Latin America and while we have an excelent plan, there isn't any insurance that will cover anything in the mouth. I asked the OS and he said he has yet to see a policy that one of his patients has been able to use.

[kballing]

hi all,
sounds like everyone is making a lot of progress. yay, we got through those few frustrating days.
i am soooo excited. i saw my os today and he was very very pleased with the progress (even brought in several of the surgical residents at the hospital to look in my mouth and show them). he said the technique he used for surgery allowed just the the jaws to move and therefore, my teeth did not tip at all (apparently this is a problem sometimes). anyway, i did see the xray and wow not only is my gap 10mm, the palate bones are actually 10mm apart, i need to start working on growing that bone back together. i guess it will do it in its own time. anyway, i now have a date set for my next surgery. can you believe it? i am thrilled. i will be having orthognathic surgery dec.5. it is a long way off, but at least i have a date to plan for. wooooo hoooooo.
so, yup, Brandy, i will be getting the braces on upper and lower on the 11th and just a flexible wire for now. not sure how long that will stay on. hopefully that will help close this gap.
i should mention that i did have braces already when i was 16 (just didn't do the surgeries) on my upper teeth only for 6 months. that is why i technically shouldn't have to stay in braces long, they had originally said 6 months, turns out since my surgery date is in dec. i will have them on for 9 months, but maybe they can do a little tweaking then.
in any case, hope everyone is doing well. is everyone having orthognathic surgery as well?
have a great night!!!

[Brandyleigh35]

Wow K,
You really are on the fast track with all this stuff! and I thought I was cruising right along! LOL.. Actually I will most likely be ready for surgery a bit earlier than May 2007. My teeth are really not very crooked. Slight crowding on the bottom but nothing that should take more than about 3 months to fix, and uppers are pretty straight right now since SARPE. My molars tipped a bit but nothing too much. They should be able to fix it pretty quickly. I'm waiting til May for surgery though, as I work for the school district and if I have it done in May I will have 4 full months to recover before I have to go back to work. I would love to see some pics of your expansion if you have them. Sounds like we were pretty similar with the amount of space aquired. I got 9mm as opposed to your 10mm.

I'm sure you probably said but I can't remember, You are having lower jaw surgery right?? Is it a BSSO? (bilateral saggital split osteotomy) I'm having a BSSO on my lower jaw and they will be doing a bone graft at the same time for a molar implant I will be getting about 8 months after my surgery. I'm trying to decide if I want to have genio as well or just leave my chin the way it is. Have you considered this? Do you have a tiny chin? I'm thinking I"m just going to leave it the way it is as I pretty much like my looks and don't want to change too much! I too have a pouty bottom lip due to my malocclusion, and my story is much the same as yours. The ortho wanted to do this when I was 16 but my parents really couldn't afford for both my brother and I, and his teeth were really really bad. Mine were pretty straight and didn't bother me so I was like NO WAY am I doing that! Plus I too would've had to have been wired shut! At 16 I was like "I can chew and I can swallow, and my teeth are almost straight. Thats good enough" The doctors now suspect that I have had a mild form of sleep apnea probably my whole life due to my under developed lower jaw.

I have another counselor friend who is seeing the same OS as I and she goes in June 15th for her BSSO. I can't wait to see how it goes for her, and what her results are. We have an awesome OS so I'm sure it will turn out great! Honestly I can't wait to get this all done, but I think that is mostly because this appliance is bugging me so bad. Once it comes out I"m sure the rest will be smooth sailing!

Mia, yes ask about the TPA I would think you should be able to have one, then you can tell me how wonderful it is since you will have yours before me! LOL..
Those little springs are awesome too and my teeth aren't hurting near as bad today, in fact I didn't have to take anything for pain today. I'm just excited to be seeing some movement and changes in my teeth! It makes it all worthwhile when you can see the progress doesn't it??

Marilyn, it is definitely a committment so be sure you really want to go through with it before you do anything rash. I think you would be pleased with your results, and even though the whole thought of the SARPE is scary, it really is not that bad.

WEll ladied I will check back with you later.

Brandy

[Brandyleigh35]

OMG my dh came up with the greatest idea for dealing with the sore tongue irritation from the RPE. Check my blog out for an explanation!

It works so well! I have been eating with it and everything! It is like heaven compared to the pain I had yesterday!

Brandy

[10101]

Not too much going on with me... I went to my ortho today and he said everything looked great. I am at 4mm right now and he said we're going for 8mm, and I'm due back a week today, and that's also when I hopefully stop turning.

I was kind of getting this weird clicking sound when I chew sometimes or push on my left upper lip. He said everything looked fine though and if it continues to talk to my surgeon. He said that if a piece of bone had come loose there would be bruising and he would feel it, but he didn't feel anything wrong. Maybe it's just my body being weird. That seems to be the case very often